


the spirit of christmas and really ugly sweaters

by theackles



Series: destiel drabbles [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Boys Kissing, Castiel is a Winchester, Christmas, Christmas Crack, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Music, Christmas Party, Dean is Not Heterosexual, Dean is So Done, Dean is a Softie, Dean is a Tease, Fatherhood, Holiday Sweaters, Human Castiel, Human Gabriel, Kissing, M/M, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester, Married Characters, Married Couple, Mistletoe, Protective Dean Winchester, Ugly Holiday Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-21
Updated: 2014-11-21
Packaged: 2018-02-26 11:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2650502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theackles/pseuds/theackles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is really only going to this stupid Christmas party and wearing this ugly sweater for his husband, Castiel and their little son, Noah. But, in the end, Dean sorta likes it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the spirit of christmas and really ugly sweaters

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by this photo: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10418972_365062386994694_1843668663521336823_n.jpg?oh=a725f34b10817e8709a3ac5d83288c1a&oe=5518CCD8&__gda__=1427953504_f9596bf7d96471ad9660d254770368aa entirely.
> 
> It was super fun writing about them having a son, like really. I imagined Cas the overprotective Mother Hen and Dean the sort of protective but more childish father, because it works. Sam and Gabe were really a background thing, because I've always had issues with writing two couples at the same time, but I managed to get them in there somehow.
> 
> I think I liked writing Noah so much I'll start writing drabbles with him in it.....oh well.
> 
> Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys! Kudos and comments are appreciated!

“Dean, are you just about ready yet?” Cas Milton-Winchester huffed from the living room-side of the bathroom with a one-year-old – technically almost two as of one month from now, but Cas always snapped at Dean when he mentioned it because he refused to believe he would be a year older – named Noah Winchester sleeping in his arms, a thumb stuck in his mouth.

On the other side of the door, Dean huffed, annoyed. “I hate this thing! I refuse! I won’t wear it. Nope.”

Cas rolled his eyes, even though Dean couldn’t see. “Wear what?”

“This damn sweater!” He shouted, incredulous. “It’s embarrassing!”

“Just wear the freaking sweater and lets go! I told Sam and Gabriel we’d would be there fifteen minutes ago!”

“Can’t you just take Noah instead?” Dean groaned, but Cas tried the knob and it was locked – good on Dean’s part, really, because Cas was _this_ close to beating Dean with a goddamned shoe or something if he didn’t hurry the fuck up.

Cas leaned his head, hopeless, on the wall beside of the door and sighed. “Please just do this for Noah. I just really want him to experience this.”

On the other side of the door, Dean threw his head back and let out a small whine, because that’s how Cas worked – he knew how to push Dean’s sympathy buttons. Noah was like Cas’s sidekick, because anything Cas said Noah automatically agreed with with a smile, but whenever Dean tried that tactic, Noah would give him this judging stare and still side with Cas either way.

Finally, after a moment’s silence, the door creaked open and Dean stepped out. Cas stood a few feet away now with Noah barely aware of his surroundings, sucking on his thumb like it was a boob or something while Dean made a fool of himself.

He was slouched over, a slight pout on his lips with his arms crossed stubbornly over his stupid red sweater. It had tiny white polka dots and reindeer and the words ‘Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal’ down the chest. It was slightly too big and you could see his burgundy shirt underneath, making it all the more slightly embarrassing. The stupid sweater thing had been Gabriel’s idea – of course – and despite Dean’s protests, Gabe obviously got his way and got everyone a sweater, including Noah.

Gabe must’ve put himself through hell looking for the most embarrassing sweaters he could get his hands on. Dean decided in that very second that he definitely hated Gabriel.  Yeah, definitely.

Cas laughed quietly, his cheeks doing that adorable thing where they fluff up slightly and turn pink and the corners of his blue eyes crinkled. “It’s not that bad, Dean. You’re just being paranoid.”

Dean rolled his eyes because obviously Cas was bullshitting. “Yeah, easy for you to say,”

Cas’s sweater was the least embarrassing out of everyones, including Gabriel’s. It was just big red and white stripes, and the only thing remotely embarrassing about it was it stopped midthigh against Cas’s dark jeans. Even Noah’s sweater looked better than Dean’s – it was just green with white snowflakes as polkadots and a big Christmas tree on the front, with a red hem around the neck and wrists.

Cas stepped forward and pried Dean’s crossed arms away with one hand and intertwined their fingers. “I think you look adorable.”

Dean had to roll his eyes a second time. “I’m not adorable – this is humiliating.” He pouted some more.

Cas just laughed again, leaning up slightly to press his lips to Dean, who hummed appreciatively, and then Noah spoke up, slightly more awake on Cas’s hip.

“Daddy,” he called over to Dean with a small voice, his hands grabbing at him while he leaned over the small gap between them and fell into Dean’s waiting arms. He pulled him onto his hip and felt Noah’s long, shaggy, surfer hair against the crook of his neck.

“Come on, let’s go before we’re any more late.” Cas said and pulled on Dean’s hand, leading them over to the door and coat rack. Dean shrugged on his black windbreaker and fought Noah into his Transformers bubble coat while Cas slipped into his wooly white coat, leaving – very, very surprisingly – his usual tan trench coat on the rack. As Dean turned to him, he saw Cas pull out a pair of white earmuffs and put them over his ears and red gloves, and then another pair of navy earmuffs and gloves to put on Noah.

If anything, Cas was the adorable one. Noah was definitely his sidekick. Those two would  be the ultimate death of Dean.

The car ride over was terrible because the radio kept spouting out friggin’ Christmas music and the intermissions weren’t any better, constantly chanting “we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you a merry—” until Dean angrily muted it – and Cas’s humming, sadly, but he just couldn’t take it before 11AM.

As soon as he pulled the Impala into the snowy parking lot of the community center, he spotted Sam’s little compact Mom Car in bright green on the far side, slightly covered in the heavy snow. Dean got out of the car unwillingly and scooped Noah up from the carseat in the back, who was very much more alert at what was going on. Cas met him around the front and tangled an arm around Dean’s free one and knotted their fingers together.

Inside was really no better than the sweaters. The ceiling was full of  decorated garland and twinkling lights adorned every inch of the walls that Dean could see. There were brightly decorated Christmas trees almost every ten feet away and red rugs sat as makeshift roads to different sections of the party with snowy signs saying where they headed. The rug leading in front of them and disappearing through a small arch with green garland and lights lead to the food and drink area, the one to their left led to Santa Claus, and the one on their right led to the live music and kids area.

Before Dean could get a word out about how damn cheesy this whole place was with it’s loud Christmas music and elves running around, their old friend Chuck came out of nowhere sporting a wide smile when he spotted them.

“Dean, Cas!” He grinned as he approached, ruffling Noah’s hair and giving Dean a manly pat on the back despite his husband wrapped around his arm. “I’m so glad you guys could make it.”

“It’s a pleasure to be here, Chuck.” Cas gave a friendly smile, because that’s just what Cas did. “It’s decorated really well.”

Chuck’s grin widened across his scruffy face, “Wow, thanks! I put it together myself with a little help from the volunteer team.”

“It looks great, really,” Cas assured, smiling. Chuck’s eyes flicked over to Dean as if he were supposed to say something, too. Cas gave him a small nudge after a moment of awkward silence.

“Yeah, it’s uh...real nice. Looks good. Great job, Chuck,” Dean gave Chuck a small slap on the shoulder just to make sure he seemed realistic. Chuck didn’t seem to think otherwise, because he just grinned and gave a small blush.

“Thanks,” he bowed his head.

“How long did it take you?” Cas asked, enveloping Chuck in some small-talk. Dean sighed and tried to tune it out by looking around, and attempted blocking out the really preppy Christmas music playing loudly in the background.

“Daddy,” Noah gasped suddenly, popping this thumb out of his mouth to point. He let go of his grip in Dean’s hair to push his long bangs out of the way to see clearly. Dean followed his finger and saw the mass of elves running around with pointy green hats and even pointer  ears.

“Yeah, bud, elves.”

And then Dean saw Gabe and Sam come out from behind some trees – seriously, gross, Dean didn’t even have to guess what was happening behind those trees – and spotted them as if he were flashing red, which, technically, he sort of was, but he was really trying not to think about that.

“Sammy!” Noah cried out when Sam emerged from the pack of elves with Gabriel tailing. Sam beamed when he saw his nephew and scooped him up in his arms, and then perched him on his shoulders. Dean’s Mom Mode kicked in slightly and tried not to focus too much on how Noah wasn’t even holding on to Sam or anything, just Sam holding his feet by his shoulders.

“I’m surprised you guys made it!” Sam said, sounding just as surprised as he insisted he was. “Really, I think I’m more surprised you actually came. How did Cas get you to agree?” He laughed quietly, and then held up a hand to stop Dean short. “Actually, I don’t wanna know.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Look, I’m only here because Cas really wanted me to be. Otherwise, no. I’d be home, probably naked, eating pizza and watching a game.”

“Bad mental image.” Gabriel piped up from beside Sam, making a disgusted face. “I can’t unsee that.”

“Good, serves you right for these fucking sweaters.”

Like a freaking sonar, Cas heard Dean’s swear and pinched him through his sweater.

“Ow!”

“Not with the baby around!” Cas hissed, his eyes glaring. Sam muffled a laugh, but it came out as a snort instead, and then Cas went back into his conversation with Chuck.

“Seriously, what are we even going to do here for three hours?” Dean huffed, seriously not looking forward to any of this.

Chuck was suddenly gone, probably off to do host stuff, and Cas leaned into Dean’s side.

“I want Noah to see Santa Claus.” Cas piped up, staring up at Noah who was just gasping at all the elves and the poor people teaming up to wear a reindeer costume.

Noah’s head snapped over to Cas at the mention of Santa and he started kicking at Sam’s shoulders, eager to get down. Sam pulled him off, then he grabbed at Dean, and then like a chain, he shoved at Dean to grab at Cas.

“Santa, Santa!” Noah chanted excitedly.

“You wanna go see Santa Claus later and tell him what you want for Christmas?” Cas asked him, a fond smile on his face.

“Yeah, Daddy, yeah!”

“Alright, I promise we will.”

Dean could really feel the steam coming out of his ears by now. But, if it meant that smile staying on Noah’s face, and Cas’s cheeks staying fluffy and red and cute like that, he supposed he’d go through this weird kind of hell. For them.

///

Seriously, the food at the snack table was just embarrassing. Chuck should be ashamed.

It was peanut butter crackers and weird cheese platters on one end and store-bought sugar cookies and cakes and some soda. Not what Dean had in mind. Like, at all. But Noah seemed to enjoy the sugar cookie Cas helped him eat, and honestly, Dean couldn’t really mind it a whole lot longer because of the sight.

They were sitting in some of the lounge chairs provided adjacent from the long buffet and Cas had Noah perched on his lap with his fingers coated in slobbery blue icing and crumbs. Cas broke off another piece and held it up to Noah’s mouth, who opened willingly, and popped it in, and then he took a bite off of it despite it’s gross condition.

With icing smeared all over his super chubby cheeks, Noah somehow managed to escape Cas’s iron father grasp and waddle in his boots over to the small play section.

Cas scooted over into Dean’s side and leaned his head on his shoulder while Dean pulled his arm tighter around him. “Do you want this?” Cas asked, holding the destroyed cookie up to his face.

“Uh… I’ll pass.” He laughed quietly.

Cas nodded, laughing as well, “I don’t blame you.” He laid it on his lap and sighed. “Thank you for coming. I know you really didn’t want to.”

Dean shrugged slightly. “I’m happy to be here Cas, for you and Noah.” He said, because it was true. He didn’t want to be here, but he would, because it made his boys happy. If they’re happy, he’s happy.

“I just…” Cas started, and seemed to have a hard time finding the words. “I just really want Noah to have the best Christmas’s we can give him, you know?”

“I know.”

“Because I know your dad moved you and Sam around too much to have Christmas, and mine were always spent over some really tense dinner with a dysfunctional family. I want his to be fun and full of love.”

Dean turned and cupped Cas’s face in his hands, pressing his lips softly to his. “Cas, calm down. I know. He will. Even if I have to put on a freaking fake beard and a red suit, that kid will have the best damn Christmas ever.”

Cas smiled, his blue eyes twinkling, and leaned back in to take Dean’s bottom lip between his teeth, and tugged. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Dadddddddy!” Noah called, waddling back over with a toy piece in his hand. He directed it towards Cas. “Daddy, play.” He demanded, shoving the piece into Cas’s chest, where he took it and frowned at it’s slobberiness. Noah snatched the rest of the cookie and shoved the entire thing into his mouth, his cheeks puffing up.

“Daddy doesn’t know how to play.” Cas told Noah, handing him the toy back. “Why don’t you go ask Uncle Sam and Gabe from the food table to play?” He pointed over to the two brightly colored men eating all the brownies in the corner like savages.

Noah gasped as if it were the perfect, master plan. “Okay!”

Dean took that small opportunity to shove his hands under Cas’s sweater and shirt underneath, feeling warm skin against his hand. “You know, you’re actually the hottest thing in that sweater.” He murmured into Cas’s ear, nudging into his hair with his nose.

Cas blushed against him and slightly pushed him away, but Dean just pulled him tighter. “Be quiet, there are kids here.”

“I am being quiet.” He bit his ear and then placed a tempting kiss on his stubbly jaw. “You’re the best snack here.”

“Dean!” Cas gasped quietly, pushing him away for real this time and tried to hide his blush.

/////

“I’m not doing that.”

“Daddy,” Noah pleaded, tugging on Dean’s hand towards Santa Claus who was finishing up with the little girl in pigtails. “Pwease.”

Dean shook his head again. “No, Noah, Daddy isn’t going to sit on Santa’s lap. I’m too big. Why don’t you ask Other-Daddy, he’s smaller.” Dean nudged Noah towards Cas who stood near Santa, more for moral support because this was Noah’s first time sitting on Santa’s lap. Noah whined even louder.

“What’s the matter?” Cas asked, Mommy Mode kicking in when a whiny Noah neared.

“Daddy, lap!” Noah spoke, using his somehow effective two-word-stories. “Daddy won’t.”

Cas grinned, and Dean could see those stupid fucking gears turn in his head. “Dean, why don’t you sit on Santa’s lap?”

“Because I don’t want to.”

“Make your son happy and sit on Santa’s lap.”

“Yeah, Daddy!” Noah agreed, just like he did with everything else.

“I think he’d rather sit on your lap, Castiel!” Gabriel shouted from wherever he was coming from with Sam tailing right behind him.

“Dude!” Dean shouted, his hands immediately going down to block Noah’s ears. “Noah’s standing right here!”

“Please, he won’t remember any of this anyways.” Gabriel rolled his eyes. He suddenly held up a finger. “Okay, how about this. We won’t make you sit on Santa Claus’s lap if you take a family picture with us all.”

“I’m not doing that either.”

“They have family pictures here?” Cas’s eyes lit up like a goddamned Christmas tree and Dean already knew he’d be taking a picture either way.

“Yep, they have Santa hats and everything!”

“Oooh, Dean!” Cas’s eyes flicked over to Dean and Dean just couldn’t let him down, so he sighed.

“Fine.” He scooped Noah up and place him on Santa’s lap when it freed and stood just off to the side where Cas stood. Gabriel and Sam disappeared again (seriously, where could two grown men disappear to in a place like this?)

“Ho, ho, ho, what’s your name?” The old dude in a wig asked – ahem, Santa Claus.

Noah suddenly closed off, his eyes widening and his cheeks turning that red like Cas’s did. Noah was a spitting image of Cas, but that was probably because he was rightfully his. When they decided they wanted a kid those two years ago, they went to a surrogate instead of adopting because they wanted Noah to really be theirs, and because Cas was the one who brought babies up, he went first, which meant Noah looked exactly friggin’ like him, except his hair was chocolate brown like the mother’s. Even his eyes were dead-on. Dean was….a little jealous. Maybe.

Cas gave Noah a little nudge. “Tell him your name, baby.”

“N-Noah,” he said hesitantly. His hesitance vanished when the Santa grabbed his fake stomach with a howl of laughter.

“Noah, such a good name! Ho, ho, ho! Noah, what do you want for Christmas? Hmm?”

As Dean watched, he felt Cas lean into his side and pull out Dean’s phone from his back pocket and open up the picture app, snapping a few pictures of Noah leaning in and tried to be quiet about his whispering.

“Ho, ho, ho! You better be good these last few days, and you’ll get them! Don’t cry for daddy or…” Santa gave a cautious glance over to Dean and eyed him up, trying to decide.

Dean gave a fake, sarcastic smile, and wrapped an arm around Cas’s waist. “We’re gay.”

“....your other daddy,” the Santa finally finished, and Dean let out a small snort while Cas snapped a few more pictures.

Noah finished up with Santa Claus and was offered a professional picture. Cas, of course, accepted with a bright smile and pulled Dean in close to be in it with Noah who still sat perched on this dude’s leg.

One fake smile later, Dean was being hauled away to the other picture place with those damn props. When they walked in, they saw Sam and Gabe totally kissing while the poor dude took their picture. It was really cheesy, with Sam holding a mistletoe above them and Gabe in a Santa hat.

Dean smiled anyways at the sight, because he couldn’t lie to himself – they made a great couple, even if Gabe was often flamboyant about everything.

The first picture they took was the family one, to get it over with. Starting from the right – with everyone in fucking Santa hats – Gabriel stood with a shit-eating grin and changed his hat to a weird spiral Santa hat, and Sam was slightly tucked behind him with one hand on his shoulder and the other on Dean’s who seriously just couldn’t fucking smile and slouched over with Noah resting on his hip closest to Cas. Cas, who didn’t seem to notice his frown, had either of his hands intertwined on Dean’s shoulder with a proper smile on his face, while Noah had no idea what the hell was going on and ripped his hat off and gnawed on it. Chuck appeared out literally freaking nowhere and leaned into the picture last minute, leaning on Cas’s back.

It was terrible.

Cas insisted on some more, just him and Dean and Noah.

The second one was Noah holding the hat confused on Cas’s shoulders with his bangs in his eyes, and Dean actually tried to smile this time with his arms wrapped around Cas’s waist.

The third one was just him and Cas holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes super cheesy, but Noah ended up running around in the background and tripped over something and ended up in the picture.

The fourth one was Dean pecking Cas’s cheek while Cas blushed, and the fifth one, Dean decided to take Sam’s tactic and grab the mistletoe and hold it above their heads.

“Guess you gotta kiss me.” He grinned down at Cas, who blushed really deep.

Dean crushed his lips onto Cas’s, a hand coming up to cup his jaw while Cas fisted into Dean’s sweater at his hips, pulling him slightly closer. The camera snapped that last time, but Dean was so lost in it, he tilted his head a different way to push his tongue into Cas’s mouth, who moaned softly against him.

It took Dean a small moment to notice three things: the camera guy coughing awkwardly, Gabriel laughing in the background, Sam shifting beside him with a screaming Noah in his arms.

…..Right.

/////

Of course, they couldn’t just friggin leave already without visiting the music section.

It was really just a bunch of old people gathered around, some dancing, while a bunch of kids from Noah’s age to about 8 or 9 running around with each other.

For a while, Dean just stood with Cas against the back wall awkwardly while Gabriel hauled Sam to the middle of the dance floor and pretty much pelvic thrust at him while Sam stood there awkwardly, apologizing to all the old people who gave him looks. Dean watched Noah run across the dance floor – well, try to, but he mainly kept tripping and had to give himself a minute to get his shit back together before running to catch up.

Then, That Spirit Of Christmas came on and Dean recognized the voice of Ray Charles. It wasn’t his favorite, but he knew Cas kinda liked him, and as soon as the slow melody came out into the small area, Dean just really fuckin’ knew.

“Hey, come dance with me.” He beckoned Cas, tugging his hand gently towards the dance floor where even Sam and Gabe got into the sync of the sway.

Cas’s eyes widened slightly. “Really?”

“Yeah, come on.” Dean laughed and brought him over slightly behind his brother and wrapped his arms around his waist. Cas circled his arms around Dean’s neck and knitted his fingers into his hair, their bodies flush against each other.

Dean’s eyes fell shut as they headed into the soft sway of the melody.

I was sittin' by the fire side

Taking a walk through the snow

Listening to a children's choir

Singing songs about Jesus

The blessed way that he came to us

Why can't it remain all through the year

He kissed Cas’s head and sighed. “I love you.”

Cas nuzzled deeper into Dean’s stupid sweater. “Yeah, I love you, too.”

Dean nudged Cas’s ear with his nose. “Hey, Cas?”

Cas shivered at Dean’s hot breath against his ear, but answered anyways. “Yeah?”

“Ummm…” Dean pulled away slightly, but didn’t stop rocking them slightly. “How do you feel...about another kid?”

Cas frowned at first, his eyebrows pulling together in a small v shape, and then his eyes widened. As if on cue, Noah’s laughter erupted from one side of the room where he and a girl were playfully punching each other’s shoulders. Cas glanced over there and looked back at Dean with a smile on his face now, while Dean was just wrecked with nerves.

“Really?”

Dean gave a small smile. “Yeah. I want Noah to be a big brother, and I wouldn’t mind having another little baby in the house.”

“Because all the diapers were just so much fun,” Cas said, definitely sarcastically, with a small roll of his eyes. Then he when somber and smiled. “I’d...I’d really like that.”

Dean grinned and pushed his lips to Cas’s, their swaying stopping altogether, and cupped his face between his hands and just kissed. Cas’s hands pushed underneath Dean’s sweater and shirt and felt cool against Dean’s hot skin.

Cas hummed against Dean’s mouth as his tongue explored, then Dean pulled away just enough to mumble, “Merry Christmas, Cas.”

And…..maybe that party hadn’t been too bad after all.

 


End file.
